Special report. Some new approaches to hospital parking security

A hospital's parking facilities--garages and parking lots--can be a major source of revenue, but parking areas also account for a substantial percentage of hospital crime incidents. In the most recent IAHSS hospital crime survey (1993), some 15% of sexual assaults, 31% of robberies, 39% of burglaries, and 54% of vandalism were reported to have occurred in parking lots or structures. Some 87% of reported auto thefts also occurred in parking facilities (with most of the rest taking place on public streets or elswhere on hospital grounds). The IAHSS survey also reported that employees were the victims of the above crimes in hospital parking facilities between 40% and 60% of the time, underscoring the need for securing employee parking areas. In this report, we'll bring you up-to-date on two new access control systems that are being used to secure employee and patient parking areas. We'll give you details on a patrolling technique for large parking areas that is growing in popularity. And we'll tell you how a leading rehabilitation hospital has designed its parking garage to meet the needs of its handicapped patients and their vehicles.